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Fischlowitz Travel Fellowship

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Fischlowitz Travel Fellowship

At Grinnell College, students pursue passions that shape their academic careers and impact society. The S&B spoke to Olivia Wang `25 and Chikako Inoue `26, two recipients of the Fischlowitz Travel Fellowship, which supports Grinnell College international students as they explore the United States independently while delving into themes that drive their academic and personal missions. Wang was awarded the fellowship in 2024 and completed her travel last year, while Inoue has yet to embark on their Fischlowitz adventure.

Surfing and (Sub)cultural Exchange

Wang’s journey explored a spectrum of surf spots, from iconic locations like Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Cocoa Beach to lesser-known destinations such as Sheboygan on Lake Michigan and the Gulf Coast near Tampa. Each site offered a distinct glimpse into the local surfing community. While some regions, like Florida and Wisconsin, presented challenging wave conditions, these hurdles only deepened her understanding.

“Even when the waves weren’t ideal, I found opportunities to learn and connect with the people around me,” Wang explained. This adaptive mindset allowed her to observe how geography and community values shape local surf cultures and the ethos of the sport overall.

“I wasn’t just chasing waves,” she said. “I was looking at how people connect to water, to land, and to each other.”

Photo contributed by Olivia Wang.

Beyond the act of surfing itself, Wang’s experience was shaped by her earlier volunteer work with a surf club in Guangdong, China. “The surf club I volunteered with in Guangdong had such a strong sense of purpose — not just surfing for fun, but educating people about the ocean,” she said. “That was where I first saw surfing as something communal and even political.”

These early impressions informed how she approached surf culture in the U.S., where she encountered both polished, image-driven scenes and more relaxed, grassroots communities. “California surf culture felt very polished — like everyone had the right gear, the right look. But places like Cocoa Beach felt more laid-back, more welcoming in a way.”

For Wang, surfing became a way to explore themes of identity, community, and freedom. “Surfing made me think a lot about freedom — how different places and people define it.”

Her travels showed her how the same passion — surfing — can be expressed through very different lived experiences, yet still function as a shared cultural language. In each place, she found a narrative of belonging: one shaped not only by waves, but by people, place, and purpose.

Intergenerational Healing Through Transnational Histories

While Olivia Wang’s travels are complete, Chikako Inoue `26 is just preparing for their own fellowship journey. Recently announced as the 2025 recipient of the Fischlowitz Travel Fellowship, Inoue, a Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies major from Saitama, Japan, will embark on their fellowship trip in Aug. 2025.

Inoue’s project centers on the history of “comfort women” — a term for the women and girls subjected to sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II. This topic is both a personal and academic focus for Inoue, and they plan to examine how the legacy of this trauma is commemorated within the Asian-American community, especially through statues of peace placed in U.S. cities.

These statues, found in areas with significant Asian-American populations, serve as memorials to the victims of wartime sexual violence. Inoue aims to explore how these memorials act as a form of healing, fostering solidarity and activism within affected communities.

Inoue was encouraged to apply for the fellowship by Ekta Shaikh `24, a fellow GWSS major and previous recipient of the award, who worked on similar gender-based issues.

“I was inspired by their work and saw the fellowship as a chance to deepen my own understanding of American culture, contribute to my community, and expand my network of scholars and activists,” Inoue noted.

As a Japanese student studying in the U.S., Inoue is uniquely positioned to engage with this issue from multiple perspectives — as a scholar, an activist and someone with personal connections to Japan’s wartime actions.

“This project is about acknowledging a painful history and working towards healing,” Inoue explained. “The memorials are not just about remembering the past but about creating spaces for dialogue and solidarity.”

Chikako Inoue poses for a photo in the HSSC on Thursday, Apr. 3 (Owen Barbato)

Inoue also plans to visit key sites, including Glendale, California, where one of the memorials stands, and other cities where similar statues are located. They aim to connect with residents involved in the commemoration and reparation efforts to better understand how public acts of remembrance can serve as tools for healing and social justice.

For future applicants, Inoue emphasized the importance of passion and purpose in the proposal. “This fellowship is a powerful tool for anyone looking to deepen their academic and activist work while engaging with diverse communities. My project is personal, and I believe that authenticity shines through in the application process.”

Inoue’s fellowship will also provide opportunities to connect with scholars and activists who are also addressing issues like colonialism, decolonization and the legacy of wartime sexual violence. “I want to bring the experiences of comfort women into broader conversations about colonialism, trauma and healing,” Inoue said.

The Fischlowitz Fellowship Selection Process

Emily Perry, assistant director of international student programs at Grinnell’s Office of International Student Affairs (OISA), oversees the logistics of the Fischlowitz Travel Fellowship. She described the process in a recent interview, noting that a selection committee reviews proposals and selects three finalists for interviews before choosing the final recipient.

The committee has five members — a representative each from the Office Development and Alumni Relations, global fellowships and awards and the Institute for Global Engagement, a rotating faculty member and the most recent recipient of the fellowship (Wang participated in the 2025 search committee.) Perry’s role is to manage the logistics while remaining neutral in the final decision-making process.

The selection committee evaluates applicants based on a rubric that considers the clarity of their theme, the feasibility of their travel plans and their overall maturity and adaptability. Perry emphasized the importance of seeing clear goals, realistic planning and the ability to engage with new experiences. Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate openness to learning and flexibility in their travel plans, as the fellowship places a strong emphasis on independent exploration and personal growth.

The number of applications for the Fischlowitz Travel Fellowship has remained consistent despite concerns during the pandemic. “We’ve seen a steady number of applications each year, with students engaging deeply with the themes they propose,” Perry said.

While Inoue’s fellowship travel has not yet begun, they took an early step in preparation after being invited to attend the 25th anniversary of the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal on March 13, 2025, at Cardozo School of Law in New York City. The event honored the legacy of the comfort women and the tribunal, marking its 25th anniversary and reflecting on its ongoing impact.

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PRIMER: NCAA Volleyball Championship Second Round

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 23 Iowa State (23-7, 12-6 Big 12) continues its 18th NCAA Championships appearance as the No. 5 seed advancing to the second round to meet No. 4-seed Minnesota.

Saturday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m., vs. No. 17 Minnesota (23-9, 12-8 Big Ten)

Maturi Pavilion, Minneapolis, Minn.

Tickets | Live Stats | ESPN+ | Media Center | Notes

By the Numbers

1 – Morgan Brandt leads all active Big 12 players with 3,773 career assists. The total ranks fourth in program history.

3 – Christy Johnson-Lynch ranks No. 3 all time in Big 12 history with 219 league victories.

3 – ISU ends regular season as the Big 12 leader in three categories: kills (14.14 per set), assists (13.03 per set) and digs (15.22 per set). The kill and assist average rank top 20 nationally.

5 – Iowa State placed five on All-Big 12 teams and took home Big 12 Libero and Setter of the Year.

10 – Maya Duckworth now ranks 10th in Iowa State history with 1,072 kills. Duckworth became the 12th in ISU history to join the 1,000-kill club.

12 – Iowa State has 12 Big 12 wins for the first time since 2012.

The 2025 Cyclones

ISU advanced with a first-round win over St. Thomas. Rachel Van Gorp had 33 digs, the second-most in a tournament match by a Cyclone and most since 2012. ISU served 12 aces led by Nayeli Ti’a with five, tying the ISU tournament record. Van Gorp served four, now the third-highest tournament ace total.

Iowa State ended regular season at 22-7 and 12-6 in Big 12 play to finish tied for third after being picking ninth in preseason. ISU has the most regular season wins since 2011, while the last time ISU was ranked this late in the season was in 2017.

Rachel Van Gorp is the unanimous Big 12 Libero of the Year, and Morgan Brandt earned Big 12 Setter of the Year while both were placed on All-Big 12 First Team. Tierney Jackson was named All-Big 12 Second team, while true freshmen Alea Goolsby and Reagan Hanfelt were selected for the All-Rookie Team.



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2025 NCAA volleyball live updates: Bracket, schedule, highlights

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Updated Dec. 6, 2025, 9:04 p.m. ET



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Emma Reaves Breaks Own School Record in Tri-Meet with URI, Stonehill

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KINGSTON, R.I. — Sophomore thrower Emma Reaves (Westminster, Md.) placed first in the shot put, headlining the women’s track and field team’s first-place finish in the team’s tri-meet with the University of Rhode Island and Stonehill College, winning with 104 points.
 
UNH’s men’s track and field team finished in third with 89 points, while URI won the meet with 96 points and Stonehill closed with 91 points.
 
In addition to Reaves’ win, the following Wildcats placed:
 

  • Women’s Long Jump

    • Sophomore Sarah Moore (Lisbon, Maine), first place (5.75m)
    • Graduate student Autumn Agri (Stratham, N.H.), second place (5.35m)
    • Junior Audrey Thornton (Freedom, N.H.), third place (5.28m)

  • Men’s Long Jump

    • Freshman Rio Calle (Weare, N.H.), fourth place (7.01m)

  • Women’s Triple Jump
  • Men’s Triple Jump

    • Sophomore Ethan Palmer (Bowdoin, Maine), third place (14.60m)

  • Women’s Shot Put

    • Reaves, first place (14.38m)
    • Freshman Payton Goulding (Cumberland, R.I.), third place (11.86m)
    • Sophomore Ruby Prentiss (Falmouth, Maine), sixth place (11.13m)

  • Men’s Shot Put
  • Women’s Weight Throw

    • Reaves, first place (17.87m)
    • Goulding, third place (15.23m)
    • Junior Briana Danis (Hooksett, N.H.), fifth place (15.06m)
    • Prentiss, sixth place (14.31m)1.5

  • Men’s Weight Throw

    • Senior Liam McGovern (North Kingstown, R.I.), first place (19.79m)
    • Abaka-Amuah, second place (19.53m)
    • Senior Jack Washam (Nashua, N.H.), third place (17.73m)

  • Women’s High Jump
  • Men’s High Jump

    • Junior Gunnar Sokol (Berwick, Maine), seventh (1.90m)
    • Sophomore Samuel Grube (Dover, N.H.), ninth (1.90m)

  • Men’s Pole Vault
  • Men’s 1 Mile
  • Women’s 60m Hurdles
  • Women’s 600m Run
  • Men’s 600m Run

    • Sophomore James Gecek (High Bridge, N.J.), seventh (1:25.58)

  • Women’s 60m Dash

    • Nada, first (7.71)
    • Moore, second (7.72)
    • Thornton, third (7.88)
    • Sophomore Eva Roberts (Derry, N.H.), fifth (7.92)

  • Men’s 1000m Run
  • Women’s 300m Dash

    • Thornton, second (42.43)
    • Sophomore Brooke White (Barnet, Vt.), fifth (42.90)
    • Senior Liliana Chirichella (Troy, N.H.), seventh (43.66)
    • Roberts, ninth (45.25)

  • Women’s 3000m Run

    • Senior Claire Ronan (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.), first (10:09.32)
    • Senior Carolyn Day (Wolfeboro, N.H.), third (10:37.08)

  • Men’s 3000m Run
  • Women’s 4x400m Relay

    • New Hampshire “A” (Chirichella, Hickey, Dillon, Agri), second (4:08.42)

  • Men’s 4×400 Relay

    • New Hampshire “A” (Gecek, Daniel Anderson [Naugatuck, Conn.], Calle, Lesniak), fourth (3:28.38)



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ACU Heads to College Station for First Meet of the Indoor Season

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The ACU track and field team opens its indoor season by competing in the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational on the campus of Texas A&M on Saturday. The meet will be a low-key meet designed to get in some competition before the Christmas break.

Joining ACU and host Texas A&M in the field will be Baylor, Sam Houston State, SMU, and UTSA.

This meet will be the first competition for several newcomers to the program. There are plans to have three 4×400 relays for the women and the men and some of the newcomers will only run on the relays this weekend.

ACU entries for the men include: 60 (Horatio Brooks); 300 (Gage Heighten); 1000 (Evan Martin); Mile (Benjamin Castro, Vincent Luffey); 3,000 (Mark Barajas, Carlos Cortez); 60 hurdles (Canaan Fairley, Miguel Hall); high jump (Canaan Fairley); long jump (Horatio Brooks); weight throw (Rhet Punt, Matthew Udemba).

There will also be a large relay pool to fill out the three 4×400 relays and this pool includes newcomers who will only be competing in the relays – Durrell Collins, Abraham Olufemi-Dada, Nickens Lemba – and two returnees also running solely on the relays this weekend – Ethan Krause and Ryan McMeen.

ACU entries for the women include: 60 (Lauren Foxworth, Darinasia Taylor, Kee’Lani Whitlock, Neriah Williams, Morgan Morris, Halle Gunter, Jaeden Thomas); 300 (Morgan Morris, Kaycian Johnson); 600 (Madelyn McFadden, Anna Vyn, Gracee Whiteaker, Jalyn Childers); 1000 (Emma Santoro); Mile (Lola Buentello); 60 hurdles (Hana Banks, Nele Huth, Natalie Poe, Skyla Riedel); high jump (Kaia Anderson, Kennadi Payne, Natalie Poe); long jump (Halle Gunter, Nele Huth, Skyla Riedel, Jaeden Thomas); shot put (Sterling Glenn, Ciara Tilley, Mariana Van Dyk); weight throw (Sterling Glenn, Mariana Van Dyk).

Because the McFerrin Invitational will not have a triple jump in the meet, two Wildcats took part in the OU Winter Field Fest. Arthur Jenkins recorded a 14.94m triple jump, while Mackenzie Flaugher went 11.70m.

The McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational will be held in the Murray Fasken Indoor Track on the Texas A&M campus. The field events will begin at 2 p.m. and the running events at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Coach Miles Smith: I’m excited to see our kids compete. They have been working hard. We have a lot of newcomers who are getting their first taste of collegiate competition, so it will be fun to watch them compete.  Our goal is to come out healthy and learn what we need to work on over the next few weeks before the bulk of our season kicks off in mid-January.

 



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Petitjean, Weber Set Personal Bests In Boston

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BOSTON – The Elon University women’s track and field team opened its indoor season with two members of its distance squad competing at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener on Saturday at the BU Track and Tennis Center.
 
Senior Sarah Petitjean led the Phoenix in the 3,000 meters, posting a personal-best time of 9:49.97 to place 52nd in a field of 95 runners.
 
In the 5,000 meters, junior Hannah Weber also set a personal record with a time of 16:29, improving her previous best by nearly three seconds.
 
ON DECK
Elon will be idle for the winter break before returning to competition on Jan. 17 at the Mondo College Invitational at the JDL Fast Track Complex.
 

— ELON —



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Mountaineers Set New 4×400-Meter Relay Meet Record at Indoor Season Opener

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.  – The App State women’s track and field team opened the 2025-26 indoor season at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-Off on Saturday. A new meet record, set by the 4×400-meter relay quartet of junior Nicole Wells, seniors Damyja Alejandro-Ortiz and Daye Talley, and junior Jayla Adams, punctuated the day’s action. 

“This was a great season opener for all event groups to knock the rust off from months ago. The athletes are really motivated to be back from break and start the season.” said director of track & field/cross country Damion McLean. “Expectations are high this season, so we have to stay motivated on an elite level to be competitive.” 

 

Wells, Alejandro-Ortiz, Talley, and Adams stopped the clock at 3:45.76 for a new meet record in the women’s 4×400-meter relay. The previous meet record was 3:49.07, set in 2021 by Duke’s Jenna Crean, Lauren Hoffman, Megan McGinnis, and Kiara Ekeigwe. The Mountaineers were two seconds shy of the App State school record of 3:43.85, which was set at the 2023 Sun Belt Indoor Championships. Earlier in the afternoon, Adams and Talley finished third (24.39) and fifth (24.77), respectively, in the women’s seeded 200 meters. Adams remains third in the App State all-time list with her personal best of 24.22, which she set during the 2024 campaign. In the women’s unseeded 200 meters, sophomore Kaitlyn McLeod placed fifth with a time of 25.04.

 

In her collegiate indoor debut, freshman Alana Braxton posted a pair of first place finishes in the women’s triple jump (12.32m (40′ 5″)) and women’s long jump (5.87m (19′ 3.25″)). Fellow freshman Ashlynn Wimberly landed second with a leap of 12.14m (39′ 10″) and sophomore Jahaila Wright placed sixth with a leap of 11.60m (38′ 0.75″) in the women’s triple jump. With a leap of 5.31m (17′ 5.25″) freshman Kelly MacBride rounded out the top 10 in the women’s long jump.

 

Senior Ava Studney placed first in the women’s pole vault, recording a clearance of 3.95m (12′ 11.5″). 

 

Junior Kendall Johnson placed second with a time of 7.50 in the women’s 60 meters, coming within 0.08 of her personal best and program record of 7.42, which she set at last season’s SBC Indoor Championships. Wells rounded out the top 10 in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.73.

 

With a time of 2:18.09, senior Addison Ollendick-Smith placed fourth in the women’s 800 meters. Ollendick-Smith, who stands second all-time in the program record book, was seven seconds shy of her personal best of 2:11.13, which she set last season.

 

With a personal best toss of 14.70m (48′ 2.75″), junior Dianna Boykin placed eighth in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore Emily Edwards placed eighth with a toss of 12.17m (39′ 11.25″) in the women’s shot put and rounded out the top 10 in the women’s weight throw with a mark of 14.03m (46′ 0.5″).

 

Up Next

The Mountaineers will resume the indoor track and field season with the UNC Asheville Collegiate Opener at Tryon International on Jan. 10.

 



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